HEARING REFUSED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19815, 5 December 1919, Page 5

HEARING REFUSED.

SfflES OF WILD: DISORDER MR MASSEY'S MEETING ABANDONED. COLOSSEUM DOOR BROKEN' IN. Scenes of the wildest disorder marked the mass meeting; in the Colosseum last night, culled to iiear an address by the Prime Min.ster. The meeting, although dangerously crowded, was quite, orderly up till the commencement, but after a brief introductory speech by the Mayor, aaid just when Mr Massey hud risen to address the gathering, the

enormous crowd outside smasncd m ouo of tlio doors and surged into the building. The scene tnen became almost indescribable, and after a low minutes of futile appeal for order, the meeting was abandoned, and tue crowd gradually dispersed. The occasion was the tmrd on which Mr Mafcey had betfn refused a hearing by a Uiristchurch audience. Tho imnous Choral Jrlail j meeting, several years ago, at which the then Mayor (Mi- T. E-. Taylor) presided, was abandoned under almost similar conditions, and later on, Mr Massey, addressing a huge crowd from the Victoria bejunre band rotunda, was subjected to such a continuous uproar that what ho said was hardly audible

to reporters at his elbow. Last night’s meeting was a repetition of these conditions. THE SCENE DESGRSBED. The meeting was a story of calm changing quickly to chaos. The scene in the Colosseum prior to the appearance of the Prime Minister’s party was as peaceful as a Buouroun Sunday school gathering. At halt-past seven every seat urns occupied, with the exception of two rows on the stage. The platforms running along either side were crowded by men amt women standing five and even seven deep. The hall has a seating capacity of ‘2286, but 500 extra chairs had -been provided, and counting the huge crowd standing and perching at all available points and in

the aisles, there might have been cOOO persons in the building. The bright lighting and muslin decorations, n ■ memory of the Jellicoo ball, made a ' scene almost entirely new' to the city I in point of numbers. The iirst-comers had arrived at the hall as early as halfpast six, and from that time up to eight o’clock there was a steady stream iin the direction of the doors. It had | been advertised that the Armagh Street : j entrance was to bo reserved for ladies i and their escorts, but the rule was I broken •an hour 'before the meeting I commenced. In fact, the Gloucester : Street doors, though banged at inter- ! vals, remained closed until the mob took the law into their own hands, i Up till a quarter to eight the big ; audience was very quiet, except for the subdued buzz of conversation aud stray laughter of a strictly local character, and tho crack of an overloaded form. At ton minutes to eight there was some cheering from the people round the sides, and those in the front seats rose to see the cause of tho commotion. It was a false alarm. After wild cries of “Sit down,,” a young man, plainly 1 embarrassed, walked up tho aisle and | joined his friends. j This disturbance was followed by a I hint of more lively doings. Large | junks of glass from the broad window | above the stage, which was situated at ; tho Gloucester Street end, fell with a j crash on to tho floor below, narrowly j missing the heads of a number of ■.ladies. Two youths on the roof, who j'had deliberately smashed the panes, pushed their heads through the openj ing ami wore greeted with an outcry j of cat-calls ami raucous laughter. Ono lof the youths, who was smoking a I cigarette, waved his hand to the crowd i and then veiled something to his

; Friends outside. MR MASSEY'S ARRIVAL. Torritic cheering and insistent booing announced the arrival of the Prime i Minister at live minutes to eight, and there was another outburst when ho walked on to the platform, followed by , Dr Thacker. They are both big men, j and it took some pushing and edging to i clear a pathway. Mr Massey took a ! long look round the audience, shook ■. hands with some friends, remarked tn ] the men at the Press tables, “ I hope you fellows have good ears,” and then j sat down. He looked well, bub out | of breath. From this moment the I temper of the meeting was never in j doubt. A largo proportion of those I present were keen to hoar the Prime i Minister expound his policy. Another largo section was just as doterminec that ho should not get a hearing. A third section was inclined to be neutral. but obviously prepared to make a merry night of it. And, in the i words of the' theatrical agent, ‘‘‘there

wasn’t a. dull minute.” THE MAYOR’S INTRODUCTION. I “This brilliant gathering to-night,” I said the Mayor in a lull of cheering, I “is here-——” “To see you,” said a wag. i “This gathering is here to hear tho Prime Minister of the Dominion,” Dr Thacker added “ He is nob here to J try to win any Christchurch seat. He is here as the Prime Minister of Now Zealand.” There were constant heavy hammerings on the big wooden doors of tho building during the Mayor’s speech, Ml but he continued to try to make him- | self heard, declaring that- if the people | did not behave themselves like “real | true Britishers ” ho would have to doas dare the meeting closed before it had |S started. It. had to be recognised that H Mr Massey had come u-s Prime Minisn ter to give an account of his seven ® years of office from his own lips, and « nob through any garbled Press or in a | partisan way. Ho wished to assume & tho directorate of the Dominion fur fa the next three years, although it was doubtful whether this would take place. $ That, however, was for the ballot box ffl to decide. He had no scruples in sa-y-------ing that the next time Mr Massey c;uno §] to Christchurch it would he ns a repre--1 sentatire of the \Teoplo-in some capa<B city other than that of Prime Minister. 8f I With these remarks the Mavor bespoke Sj | a “fair and patient hearing” for Mr Js I Massey. » j “They oil want to see you. Rill,” p I shouted a. man close to the stage, as [3 the noise of a body of men attempting g tc force an entrance grow louder and ‘tj more ominous The Mayor threatened: “I shall have $ goes on,” and tho announcement loci to $ further uproar, with cries of “ No ” and $ groans from tho hostile section. | “Rub it in, Doctor 1” yelled someone when the chairman predicted that- tho £| next time Mr Massey came to Christchurch it would be as a representative of the people in another capacity. “As you respect law and order. I ask ij you to’give him a good hearing’’—the | words were hoard during a lull in the tA storm, and immediately pandemonium 'm broke out again. “Shut up, Thacker,” P “Oh, dry up,” “It’s Bill’s turn,” were some of the expressions hurled at tho a chairman. I MR MASSEY RISES. || Then Mr Massey rose from his chair. $3 More uproar. More dicers. More ten groans. The big Gloucester Street || doors shook before a sustained attack M from outside. The heavy thunderous wS blows of a battering-ram reminded one

of a, picture from the French Revolution. The Colosseum for the time being might have been the Biwtille. I)orisive laughter shut out the Prime Minister's opening seutenco, after ho had said, "I thank you for the hearty welcome you have accorded me." There was a combined shout of "Never!" from one side of the hall when Mr Massey made reference to support at the poll or somctliing of the kind. By this time half the audience was standing, and the- excitement was intense. "I am seldom seen in Christohurch"— loud and continued banging at the door and the cry, "It's only the diggers, Bill." The speech was interrupted for over five minutos, while Mr Massey and the Mayor both looked round and consulted with a few ushers. After two loud counts-out, a policeman was called up to the stage. "Why don't some of the constables "go round there-?" snapped the Mayor, pointing to the Gloucester Street entrance. The Reform candidate for Avon (Mr J. L. Carl) took advantage of a brief cessation of hostilities to walk across the stage and present his election card to the Prime Minister. He seemed to be an embarrassment to his chief, and lie retired to his seat amid a torrent of "barrack." THE MOB TAKES CHARGE-

Then came the wildest part of the whole amazing proceedings. There was a renewed sound of crashing wood. The battens holding up the left entrance at iho Gloucester Street end iiew back in splinters and the big doors fcwivng back on their hinges. A rush and a, swirl, and several thousands of men who bad been waiting outside in vain tried to push round to the front of the stage. The seats in the front rows were kicked or thrown aside, and the din was heightened by many angry disputes. Cries for order, cheers and groans continued as a kind of accompaniment- " Like the Stock Exchange gone mad," said an old gentleman near the reporters' desk as he tried to dodge the whirlpool. At the same time there was a remarkable disturbance in the middle of the hall. The spectators further back suddenly took it into their heads that they would like to hear inoro of what was going on. They surged forward in mass formation, many carrying their chairs shoulder high. Here and there ,1 policeman could be seen trying to restore order. It was useless. Obviously the limit had he-en reached. " Unless yon settle down Mr Massey is going to the Band Rotunda," announced I>r Timelier, and there was another wild crash of cheers and groans. Tremendous noise and irresistible pressure from late arrivals answered the throat. At 8.15 the Mayor announced: "Mr Mossey is going to the Band Rotunda." The J'rime Minister and the Mayof turned their backs on the audience, and th.3 crowd was left in possession. Mr Massey and the Mayor wero followed by a surging crowd, which included many friends of the Prime Min-

ifiter. Loci by the carcitnker of the building, they escaped into a. small room at the back of the temporary platform, and hero they remained for well over half an hour while the crowd expended its energy outside. The Mayor was first to leave the sanctuary, but Mr Aiassey, wishing to avoid any further uproar or disturbance, remained quietly until the police had cleared tho hail, and then left by taxi-cab from the Armagh Street entrance.

A REMARKABLE SCENE. On the withdrawn! of the Mayor and Mr Massey from tho stage the huge crowd in tho building was for some time nonplussed. Those in the immediate front, with tho din that had prevailed from tho opening of the meeting, could hardly hoar the remarlts of tho speakers, and tho multitude down towards tho*rear of the hall had been indulging in more or less free-and-easy discussions, and what in one quarter could be only likened unto a football scrimmage. The real business of tho gathering was well out of their hearing. Tho departure from the platform of the Cluei Magistrate of the city and tho I’nmo Minister at the moment caused tin? great assemblage no particular concern—just them up the aisles numberless young men, who had forced j their way in through the Gloucester Street doorway were surging, and with their entrance many womenfolk took alarm and tried to find a way out of tho building. Viewed from tho stage at

I this juncture tho scene that presented ’ j itself was indeed remarkable. The 1 1 densely packed hall seemed like a bil- (| lov.y sea, rows upon rows of people were . j bobbing up to see what was going on, I and onoo these settled clown a similar | j anxiety would cause a like disturbance 1 1 in other sections of tho audience. : [ When the platform was finally desert- > ed by the Prime Minister and his ehairv man, an elderly gentleman came to the i stage railings, and endeavoured to tell > those within hearing that Mr Massey i was “ one of tho gamesfc gentlemen i I Christchurch had ever seen.” At this > | point tho bowl of flowers from the 5 1 chairman’s table was placed in tin r | speaker’s arms, and embracing this, In 1 | asked, in continuation of his speech, i 1 L | the people of Christchurch were goin« - to be defeated by a tow “Tied Feds.” 31 Upon this there followed much boo--3 booing and some cheers. Presently tin 3 elderly gentleman became onga ged k an argument with an individual win

drifted from tho lower floor and ther Mr J. Carl attempted to take chargt of the proceedings, and pour oil on tin troubled waters. “ Ladies and gentlemen,” he cal lot out, but the noise from below wa; greater. Again .Mr Carl lifted up hi; voice—“ Ladies and gentlemen—it is ! blight on the people- of Christchurcl not to listen to the Premier- Ever man is entitled to a- fair hearing. It i'; an absolute disgrace.” Thou a missile or so was throw) towards tho stage, and one of thes< lauded fair upon the face of the pemu who had been trying to follow the re marks of the speaker. .Mr Carl did no longer continue Ids remarks, the huh bub was too grojst. Xow the table beneath the platform which had hem set aside for the use of tho reporter

wore used as vantage points by various persons who vigorously declaimed the wrongs that the Dominion had endured under the control of both .Mr Massey and Sir Joseph AVard. “The day is coming, though,” shriek’ad one man, and then followed cheers for Labour. Just below an angry argument was occurring between a man who said he thought that “evening's deal was a disgrace to Christchurch,” and another who had. very opposite opinions, but the'appearance of policemen in the vicinity quelled the heat of the discussion, and Hie attention of the crowd then became cgiitred upon an address by a burly individual who declaimed briefly but ijnudly. ns to the only way in which the Dominion cou.ld gain salvation. “Talk about the cost of living! Talk about profiteering! AVhy they all profiteer on ns! Why didn’t Bill Massey tell us to-night what ho had done about it?” There were, interruptions hero also, and tho speaker climbed down from his chair. The hall was still well crowded, but the remaining _ assemblage seemed apparently to think that they were the subject of some sort of bluff, so they held stolidly on. Presently Dr Thacker returned and said that Mr Massey bad gone to Victoria Square. Then amidst a hustling crowd on the stage the Mayor retreated? A little- further wait and there was a gradual disappearance of the audience. but a solid body of people remained in the apparent hope that there would bo still something doing. There was something doing, too, but it was not in the way of political speeches, tint the well-directed and orderly clearing of the big hall of its temporary tenants by a posse of police under the charge of Senior-Sergeant Cummings.